Necrophantasia
by OrangeMonk3y
Summary: The sequel to Against The Hive! A long time coming, and now it's finally here! See what Zuko has gotten himself into this time!


Author's Reminder: This is a continuation! If you haven't read **Against The Hive** then you won't know what the storyline is! Please read it first! If you have read it, then enjoy:

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><p>Necrophantasia:<p>

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><p>Chapter One: Five Years<p>

Well, it looked like he was on yet another suicide mission for that god-forsaken Emperor. His squad lay dead around him, well, except for the rookie over there hurling cover fire for dear life, not that it did much good against these stinking brutes. Freakin' green scum! Looking over at the rookie though, he had to wonder if he himself ever looked that "green" or "fresh" to any of the officers he served under, or if he looked like he'd seen the destruction of his entire people at the hands of the Tyranid swarm and he'd miraculously survived? Probably more like the second than the first, not that it mattered too much now, he'd outlived most of them during his five years traveling around from terra-sphere to terra-sphere, doing mission after mission, and saving countless lives and such, not that he cared, he just didn't have anything else to do. That was the whole reason he joined the Guard in the first place, he was tired of being on a planet that either pitied or hated him, tired of being stared at, not for his scar, but for surviving the hive. He was also quite tired of hearing the repeating of the rookie's gun and his own, besides, this planet had three suns, just perfect for a firebender. This was sure to blow the rookie's mind, if not make him wet his pants. At this thought, he couldn't help but smile grimly…

So much had happened over the past five years, so much hadn't as well. Whatever had happened at Boiling Rock was still a mystery, although he did get confirmation from a prisoner list left intact inside the place that Suki had been there but whatever had happened, she was gone now, along with a good portion of the prisoners. It was a conundrum he'd vowed to solve, which is why he'd worked so hard to learn a variety of languages and get promoted through the ranks of communications to the point he was at now, the head of a group of communications monitors for the sector where his own planet resided. From this position, he could also keep an eye on the others, just so long as they remained in the sector, which they usually did, it was a big sector. Toph had died about a year ago on board a cruiser, some sort of accident that obliterated the whole crew the only thing left of the cruiser was a twisted heap of metal, and Katara was off in an envoy to bring the gospel along with the other sisters to some newly freed (conquered) planet. Aang was off… somewhere… he'd gone off with Brother Ovidius to some sort of monastery or something after Katara stated she was joining the sisters. Zuko? Well, he was… actually, he really didn't even know if that crazy firebender was even alive, he was dispatched most recently to that planet on the far end of the sector, a squad of Cadians (and their recruits) had been dispatched because it had lost contact with the Imperium, but he had yet to radio in…

Glancing out the small window, she sighed heavily as she thought how strange she would have once considered being amongst the stars like this. She sat, her hands placed in her lap, as she thought about her home, she wondered how Toph and Sokka were doing, and she wondered if Aang was alright as well, she fretted excessively for him, her motherly instincts and something else keeping her constantly wondering about him. She thought of Zuko and a grim smile played over her face, she wondered if he had finally met his death like he evidently so desired, always signing up for scouting, or rather suicide, mission but usually just coming back with an injury and a new story to tell, rarely did any other members of his squad return, and when they did, they were too mentally incapacitated to ever return to the field. He'd earned the official title of "Deathbringer" amongst the sector's Guardsmen, in reference to the fact that having him on your squad was like a death sentence. But who could blame him for wanting death? She'd been with him for only just over a month in the infested Fire Nation, and she'd seen and done things that she would never forget. Her dreams were constant nightmares, and to Zuko living must seem like nightmare, having lost everything and everyone, the lone survivor of the Fire Nation proper. And to end it... Her thoughts were stolen elsewhere when the alarm sounded, issuing general quarters to everyone onboard and also suggesting that they'd come up against an enemy. Katara grabbed her familiar lasgun from her hip holster and looking at the cup of water sitting on the table, walked quickly out of the room to join her "sisters" and be ready for war.

Summoning forth a great fire and launching it at his ogresome foes, he succeeded in drawing their attention and also overwhelming their feeble minds. While they scurried about, shooting each other and anything else they could see moving, he grabbed the rookie by the collar and dragged him along behind him into a cavernous outcropping. "How did you do that without a flamer?" the confused rookie asked, gaping with awe. "Shh!" was the reply he got from the veteran, who was still half dragging him along. "Alright, we should be good for now…" Zuko finally stated, looking around suspiciously for a moment or two more and then finally settling down. He rooted through his pack for a moment, then having found his rations, or whatever one would call the stuff they passed off as food in the small ration cans, he used his combat knife to pry open the lid, then utilizing heat generated by his hand, he warmed the grog up into a somewhat edible state. "…where you blessed by the Emperor?" his companion finally asked, his tone dripping with awe. Zuko had to restrain every fiber of his being from laughing at this poor simpleton. "I've never been blessed in my whole forsaken life..." He responded grimly, making the rookie shiver nervously.

"Curse the Emperor to death!" Zuko muttered frustratedly resulting in the rookie saying, "He didn't mean it, thank you for your mercies, great god-Emperor." Zuko just glared in his general direction. He'd meant it alright. Even his own accursed father had fought alongside his generals on very few occasions, but still he'd yet to see this "almighty" Emperor in person even, much less fighting his own cursed battles. Heresy, that he well knew, so aside from what the rookie'd heard just now, he'd kept quiet. Though, since they'd lost their communicator, the reason for his curse, it didn't really matter what he said did it? Well, maybe they'd just left it back where they'd been ambushed, so a quick scouting mission out there and they could radio for back-up... Looked like he was about to have to go for a bit of a stroll through enemy territory, he definitely couldn't trust the rookie with this.

Listening to coms all day had a certain effect of making one forget the time, so when the shift change came to relieve them, Sokka reluctantly took out his earpiece and left, knowing full well it wouldn't do any good to start a ruckus. The ship that Katara had been on had failed to report in, something which wasn't uncommon if they'd run off course, but also if they'd been attacked. He also wondered about that outskirts planet that Zuko'd been sent to, they'd yet to report in as well. Another scouting party would be sent in a few days, but if there was truly something wrong, would the crew there survive it long enough? ...well, knowing that crazy firebender, he'd be alright... He'd survived the Hive hadn't he? Katara too, but still he couldn't help but worry about her... As soon as he left, however, he was paged to come back to the communications monitors, something about a strange signal coming from planet #98596. He headed back trying to think about which planet bore that code number then remembering it was the little outlying planet Zuko'd been sent to, he ran full speed on back.

He stalked along back to where their comrades had fallen, using the darkness of the night as cover and ducking low when the fastest of the three suns circling the planet appeared briefly casting it's light down on him. He'd left the rookie instructing that if he didn't return in an hour that he was probably dead and not going to so then it'd be up to him to get the communicator and radio back that the planet was overrun with Orks. The rookie had shook his head in agreement, but Zuko knew that if he failed, there would be no contact made, the rookie'd die as soon as he stepped out into the open, of that he was sure. Strangely enough though, he had yet to run into any of the monstrous oafs, something which bothered him, he knew too much of war to believe in luck and coincidence. He cautiously looked about and then waited for the sun to pass overhead, then looking around again, he crept up to his feet, still hunching close to the ground so as to be hardly noticeable in the black abyss of the night. He started rustling around, moving his fallen comrades bodies as though they were debris in the way of his search for the communicator. They were dead, what did they care what happened to them now? He'd learned the hard way that death was a release from the cruel fate inflicted on man, so no, he didn't pity them, he envied them. Although he was far from the type to just give in and let himself die, he defied fate, and every moment he still drew breathe was like a stand against fate itself, a line in the sand as it were. Finally, he found the communicator, still held in a deathgrip by one of his former companions, whose name Zuko'd never cared to learn. And his grip was great, Zuko had to pull out his knife and cut at the fingers to release the thing, not the worst thing he'd ever done but surely something the rookie would never have had the gumption to do, dismember his own former comrades. Zuko crouched low after obtaining the thing, the third sun having made it's roundabout the planet again, then he turned the thing on and tried to tune in a signal but all he could get on the blasted thing was a screeching, clicking, white noise. What it meant he couldn't tell, but it almost sounded like some type of language, the screeching and the clicking in methodical, semi-repeated sequences...

Sokka came in and the others directed him to the monitor who'd picked up the strange signal, and he ordered him to replay the message. It was a system of clicking and screeching sounds, white-noise most would say, but since it was from a terra-sphere that had lost contact, they had to have a higher authority listen to the signal before dismissing it as nothing. Sokka, however, requested that they call in the head of the station himself, as he was convinced that the signal was some sort of code or language that he just didn't understand, with repetition in sequence, it was sure to be a message of some type, he just knew it! Finally, the commander came down to see what the ruckus was about, something about an unknown signal that was white-noise, but that the lietinant wouldn't dismiss. He was just about to give Sokka an earful right infront of all his subordinates when Sokka hit replay on the message. The commanders eyes grew wide and he sat down in a chair quickly provided for him by one of the monitors before he barely breathed "Necrons."

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><p>Author's Note: So, it's been a long time coming, eh? Also, don't hate, don't hate! I know, a lot of characters are missing, but there's a reason! And seriously, I have a plan, so don't hate! It will all be made well, but I can't tell ya, or I'll give away the plot, which would make it a very boring fiction, am I right? So yeah, introducing Orks and Necrons in this one, but from the title, you might be able to grasp that it's mainly a vs. the Necrons sort of fic, and yeah... that's true. So, enjoy and please review... also, I do hope to update this regularly, but I might be getting a very special ring soon, so it might not happen, but the more reviews I see the more I am likely to keep it updated... Just sayin'! Anyhoo... Oh yeah, I know last fic I introduced one OC, but sorry, that was really hard for me and it was just kinda rushed, so not gonna take requests this time, might do oneshots for people, but even then, we'll see, okay? Thanks again for the patience and like I said, ENJOY! :D<p> 


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